10 Most Endangered - Indiana Landmarks

Every day, all year long, Indiana Landmarks works to revitalize historic structures that give our communities visible connections to their past and lend irreplaceable visual character to the streetscape. Once a year, we announce the 10 Most Endangered, a list of historic places on the brink of extinction and too important to lose.

The list includes an architect-designed industrial building; a threatened Victorian neighborhood; historic fraternal lodges; a significant Queen Anne home; a former movie palace; an Art Deco skyscraper; a commercial block that embodies Indiana’s limestone legacy; a manufacturing mogul’s neglected mansion; a long vacant county home; and a church designed by a trailblazing Black architect.These places shape lives, and when they’re gone, they leave a void that can’t be filled.

International Harvester Engineering Building

2911 Meyer Road, Fort Wayne

An important link to Fort Wayne’s automotive heritage, the International Harvester Engineering Building occupies land targeted for a new county jail and office complex.

Starr Historic District

Bounded by North A Street, North E Street, North 10th Street, and North 16th Street, Richmond

Richmond’s Starr Historic District was once considered one of the Midwest’s best-preserved Victorian-era neighborhoods. Today, it’s better known for its ongoing decline.

Historic Fraternal Lodges

Statewide

Participation in fraternal organizations is on a steep decline, leaving hundreds of significant historic buildings at risk.

Thomas and Louisa Little House

5328 E. U.S. Highway 40, Plainfield

One of Hendricks County’s most significant examples of Queen Anne architecture, the Little House is for sale with no protections to ensure its preservation.

State Theatre

1303 Meridian Street, Anderson

After attempts to redevelop and reopen Anderson’s historic State Theatre stalled, the former movie palace sits vacant and deteriorating.

First Friends Church

1501 South Adams Street, Marion

Without adequate resources for restoration, Marion could lose a significant landmark designed by Samuel Plato, one of the early twentieth century’s most prominent Black architects.

Birdsell Mansion

511 West Colfax Avenue, South Bend

When it was built in 1898, J.B. Birdsell’s mansion rivalled Clem Studebaker’s Tippecanoe Place and J.D. Oliver’s Copshaholm in opulence and prestige. Today, however, its ongoing neglect is cause for growing alarm.

Hulman Building and Garage

20 Northwest 4th Street, 109-111 Northwest 3rd Street, Evansville

Evansville’s Hulman Building needs a preservation-minded developer with a vision for making its stylish Art Deco architectural features shine once again.

Stinesville Commercial Buildings

8211-8237 West Main Street, Stinesville

With handsome limestone facades and large storefront windows, four vacant commercial buildings in Stinesville hold potential for any number of creative reuses, but with each passing year, prospects for saving them fade.

Knox County Poor Asylum

2830 Arc Avenue, Vincennes

After nearly 20 years of vacancy, Knox County’s historic poor farm is in desperate shape. Without repairs, the 1882 building faces demolition by neglect.

Act Now to Save These Places

Saving threatened buildings takes teamwork. You can be a part of that team. Reach out to local leaders. Let them know these buildings are important to you. And support state and local preservation groups.

TAKE ACTION